Blind Spots -- (If you don't check your mirrors, you're going to crash…)
Mirrors. We can't live with them, and we can't live without them. We check them before driving off, after moving the car in a parking lot, and when coming to a stop. But how often do you really use the mirrors when you're driving?
In this article, we describe the importance of checking your mirrors during every single trip by illustrating three particular examples—blind spots on your right side which are crucial for reacting to potential hazards; blind spots on your left side that can cause accidents if not watched for; and those in front of you which will help catch pedestrians or other vehicles crossing from one lane to another.
We also describe two distracting actions, one in which turning your head to look over your shoulder can slow you down and the other of which causing your mirrors to fog up will impair your sight.
Then we give some tips on what to do when one side of the car is covered by a blind spot. Do you sit at an angle (on the edge of the seat); do you drive in reverse; or should you turn around to see behind you?
Among other things, we discuss whether blind spots may be affected by age, gender or if they vary with time of day. Indeed, the odds of being involved in an accident are higher during or after rush hour and at night.
The conclusion we arrive at is simple: checking your mirrors before making a steering movement will increase your safety on the road.
Blind Spots on Your Right: A Close Call
Mary had just left work and was heading home in her daughter's new car. Amy had a brand new license, but hadn't yet passed her driver's test. As she was driving down the road, she noticed someone coming into her lane. She tapped her brakes and swerved as she tried to get out of the way. Unfortunately, her brand new car didn't have anti-lock brakes, so rather than stopping in time, she crashed head-on into another vehicle.
Mary was also driving on a new car along with her daughter. And just like Amy, they both were temporarily driving without their licenses.
If you're ever involved in a close call like the one described above, it's important that you understand why the accident happened. And if you're going to avoid it happening again, it's important to realize how blind spots work.
But what is a blind spot? Here's the answer: when you're driving, your mirrors show you what is happening behind and to the side of your car. However, these mirrors have limitations. There will be parts of the road that are out of sight. These are called blind spots.
In some cases (like Mary and Amy's), a vehicle can enter into one of these areas without being seen by either driver. This is especially true if either driver turns their head to check on something else while they're driving (such as their cell phones) or if another car suddenly pulls up next to them at an intersection (like happened in Mary's case).
Bad things can happen if a driver doesn't see an oncoming vehicle. The driver gets a close call, swerves to miss the other vehicle and hits another car in front of them. Or, they move out of the way at the last minute, but crash into another vehicle that's coming from the other direction.
Blind Spots on Your Left: Avoiding Accidents With Anticipation
When Frank was driving home down a road near his house, he noticed that a lot of cars were turning left onto his street. He hadn't done this himself in a while because there was a huge tree right in front of his driveway. If a car was turning left and it went straight, they'd run right into the tree.
To avoid this problem, Frank drove down the road with his headlights on, looking to see whether anyone was turning left. He even watched for a vehicle coming from the opposite direction and couldn't see it because of the tree.
Just then, he saw another vehicle turning left. However, still expecting someone to come from his side of the street, he didn't see them in time. But it was too late; he hit their back bumper with his front one .
This isn't an uncommon situation at all; I've seen similar cases many times. In fact, drivers do this all of the time. In this case, the driver was too busy watching their mirrors to see if anyone was approaching from their side.
But what does this have to do with a blind spot? It's more about avoidance than it is about hitting other vehicles.
If people are driving too close to you, then turning your head only slightly to check if they're there can be enough time for them to stop in time and not hit you. If someone is coming from behind you and you aren't expecting it, swerving can prevent a collision. (Though, we'll talk more about that later.)
But what if there is a vehicle directly in front of you on the road? Will your mirrors show them? What if they're just barely out of your sight? They might be there and you won't even know it. The only way to avoid an accident like this is to anticipate that it's going to happen.
Checking for blind spots on both sides of your car—and even in front as well—will make you more aware of the situations around you. This way if a teenager is suddenly turning left in front of you or someone is walking out from between two cars, you'll know what to do.
A perfect example is when you're in stop-and-go traffic. As you inch forward, you become more aware of what's happening around your car. That's why we always advise drivers to drive defensively when there are a lot of other vehicles on the road.
Blind Spots in Front of You: Watch For Pedestrians and Other Cars Crossing Into Your Lane
While driving down the highway one day, Angeline noticed a pedestrian walking across the road ahead of her car. She immediately slammed on her brakes to avoid hitting him.
Conclusion
We may be able to avoid accidents by seeing other cars in our blind spots and anticipating that they might pull out in front of you or come up behind you. However, the primary reason why we don't have accidents is because of a basic keyword: visibility.
When you're driving, your car should be maintained so that it's always visible to other drivers on the road. This means that your taillights are working well enough to show others whether you are slowing down or stopping, and so they can gauge whether they need to slow down or stop as well. Your windshield wipers and headlights should also be at their best.